US Marines arrive in Ebola-hit Liberia

October 10, 2014, 12:03 UTC+3PRETORIA PRETORIA October, 10. /TASSA fleet of US planes carrying marines arrived in Liberia's Monrovia Friday, which brings the total number of American troops in the country to just over 300

PRETORIA, October 10. /TASS/. Six US military planes arrived in the Ebola hot zone Thursday with more Marines to help in dealing with the Ebola virus disease spread.

The fleet of planes that landed outside the Liberian capital of Monrovia consisted of four MV-22 Ospreys and two KC-130s. The 100 additional Marines bring the total number of American troops in the country to just over 300, Maj. Gen. Darryl A. Williams, the commander leading the US response said Friday. He confirmed it was part of Washington's plan to send up to 4,000 troops to West Africa.

The first person diagnosed with Ebola in the United States died on Wednesday despite intense but delayed treatment.

The World Health Organization said in a report earlier this week that the total number of confirmed, probable, and suspected cases in the West African epidemic of EVD reported up to the end of 5 October 2014 (epidemiological week 40) was 8,033 with 3,879 deaths.

Countries affected are Guinea, Liberia, Nigeria, Senegal, Sierra Leone, and the United States of America. A confirmed case of EVD has been reported in Spain. AS was reported on Thursday and Friday, the health of the infected Spanish nurse was deteriorating.

The past week has seen a continuation of recent trends: the situation in Guinea, Liberia, and Sierra Leone continues to deteriorate, with widespread and persistent transmission of EVD. There were problems with data gathering in Liberia, the WHO said. It should be emphasized that the reported fall in the number of new cases in Liberia over the past three weeks is unlikely to be genuine. It is clear from field reports and first responders that EVD cases are being under-reported from several key locations, and laboratory data that have not yet been integrated into official estimates indicate an increase in the number of new cases in Liberia.

There is no evidence that the EVD epidemic in West Africa is being brought under control, the WHO said.

The situation in Liberia continued to deteriorate, with a recorded death toll of over 2,000 and many suspected or probable new cases in Monrovia in each of the past three weeks, and the reappearance of Ebola in Grand Cape Mount District for the first time in three weeks, it said.

In Sierra Leone, the capital Freetown and three neighbouring districts had all reported a surge of cases in the past seven or eight weeks, and the country now had 879 recorded Ebola deaths.

Liberia still had only 21% of the 2,930 bed spaces it needed. Sierra Leone had 26% of a required 1,148 bed spaces.

There is high risk for medics. Since December, 2013, 401 medical workers have been infected in Guinea, Liberia, Sierra Leone and Nigeria, and 232 of them died, the WTO said in its report earlier this week.